Steve Erceg: See the disgraceful chant Aussie UFC is sure to be hit with when he fights for the world title in Brazil

Australian Steve Erceg hopes the unusual training in a parking lot at night will set him up for success when he faces Brazilian Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC flyweight belt in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.

Erceg is just three fights into his UFC career, but his stunning performances over the past year mean he is now just one win away from becoming world champion.

The odds are well and truly stacked against Erceg on Saturday night (Sunday EST).

Not only will the 27-year-old face the best UFC flyweight in the world, he will also be greeted by a parochial crowd chanting “uh vai morrer,” which translates to “you’re going to die.”

The West Australian prodigy (left) is just one win away from becoming world champion

“At every UFC event in Brazil, if you see foreigners running against a Brazilian, they’re going to get yelled at,” Erceg said from his base in Brazil.

Another tricky aspect that Erceg faces is the timing of the fight, which will be held at the Farmasi Arena at approximately 1am.

The West Australian has come up with a unique way to acclimatise, holding nightly training sessions in the car park of his Brazilian hotel for the past two weeks.

“We try to train around the time of the fight, so we got up pretty late,” Erceg said.

‘Most nights we walk five or six kilometers. And at the front of the hotel there were no mats or anything, so (we used hitting pads every night) outside the hotel.

“At first no one really seemed to bother us, and closer to the fight fans started arriving and taking more pictures.

“It’s different now because the UFC staff is here, so we have good training areas.

“But until yesterday we were in the parking lot.”

Erceg reads himself up to face the notoriously hostile Brazilian crowd on Sunday

At 28, Erceg is six years younger than UFC champion Pantoja and has a perfect record inside the Octagon at 3-0

Life in Brazil has its dangers, with Erceg seeing first-hand how dangerous the Favelas can be.

“There were buildings on top of buildings,” he said.

“There was a street that erupted and they said, ‘You can’t go on that street because there are people there with guns.’

“We didn’t hear any weapons go off, but apparently there were people in the area that we shouldn’t be looking for.”

Erceg couldn’t help but notice the flyweight belt when his showdown with 34-year-old Pantoja was held at the iconic Parque Bondinho Pao de Acucar this week.

‘I just looked at it. It was a lot shinier than I expected,” the Australian said.

‘The belt is a cool keepsake to say what you have achieved.

“But what I’m looking for is to be the toughest guy in the world. That’s why I started.

“To fight and beat who people think is the strongest man right now, that’s what means the most to me.”